MADISON, Wis. -  After a win against Nebraska and a few things falling in the favor of the Badgers, Wisconsin will host its first game of the Big Ten tournament in Madison. This upcoming Sunday Oct. 30, the Penn State Nittany Lions will return to McClimon field for the first time since September of last year. This match will take place at 4 p.m and will be open to all fans free of charge. 

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW:

1. LAST TIME OUT: In a must-win match for the Badgers on Sunday Oct. 23, Wisconsin pulled through with a 4-1 victory over Nebraska. The Cornhuskers were coming off a win against No. 24 Penn State and feeling the momentum after an early goal scored just one minute into the match at McClimon. However, Rylee Howard found Ashley Martinez in the box, where the sophomore used her head to flick in the game-tying goal just shortly after. Ten minutes before the end of the second half, Natalie Viggiano ripped a beautiful shot from outside the 18 to give the Badgers the lead. The second half was then paced by Aryssa Mahrt's brace that secured the win for Wisconsin.

2. BIG TEN TOURNEY TIDBITS: Because of the win against Nebraska, Wisconsin ended the regular season third in the standings, which obtained the home field advantage for this match. However, because of upsets and unpredicted results there was a four-way tie for the No. 4 seed. With a tie-breaker set in place based on points and previous scores, Nebraska ended up with the last top seed for the tournament, thus handing Penn State the No. 6 spot. This is Wisconsin's third time hosting the quarterfinal game and its first since 2019. 

3. ALL OF THE AWARDS: Four Wisconsin players picked up Big-Ten honors this past week recognizing the teams talent and success throughout the year. Emma Jaskaniec deservedly was named the Big Ten Midfielder of the year after ending the season leading the conference in points and tying in goals, despite missing the last four games. Rylee Howard and Liv Curry were named to the All-Freshman Team following their impressive first collegiate seasons starting in all 18 matches. Natalie Viggiano in her fifth year was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team as she was acknowledged for her six goals and fourteen points on the season. Sophomore Ashley Martinez was recognized as the team's Sportsmanship Award recipient.

4. SECOND HALF HEROES: The Badgers have excelled on the offensive front this season, scoring 34 goals while holding opponents to 20 overall. However, over half of those goals have come in the second half of the game for Wisconsin. Out of the 34 goals scored, 22 of them were put in the back of the net within the last 45, many of them coming just minutes apart from each other. Due to this, three Badgers sit in the top ten for game-winning goals in the Big Ten. Natalie Viggiano ranks highest in the standings out of the three Wisconsin players with four. 

5. COMING UP: Following a win in this Big Ten Quarterfinal, Wisconsin would advance to the semifinal game on Nov. 3. The Badgers would play the winner of No. 7 (seed in the tournament) Rutgers vs. No. 2 Northwestern. This semifinal game would take place in Columbus, Ohio at 4:30 p.m. CT. With a loss in this game, Wisconsin would await the results of the NCAA selection show. Wisconsin has made the NCAA Tournament in the past five out of six seasons and 23 times overall.